A lawyer, who applied for 500 Approved Permits (AP), today filed a lawsuit against International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz and the government over the issue.

According to a Bernama report, Rabindran Davadeson filed the suit and his supporting affidavit with the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registrar.

Among others, the lawyer is seeking a declaration that under Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, he has the right to receive the 500 units of AP he applied for.

On the event that the court gives the green light, the affidavit stated that Rabindran will seek for compensation if the court order is then ignored by Rafidah and the government.

He is also requesting that the costs, interests and other reliefs deemed suitable by the court be paid by Rafidah and the government.

The minister was recently embroiled in a controversy surrounding the issuance of APs, which former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed was hurting the market segment of local car manufacturers.

Mahathir also questioned how certain individuals managed to obtain huge numbers of APs from the ministry.

Following this, several quarters called on Rafidah to resign.